The number of people living in predominately rural regions across Europe has fallen according to latest population statistics, but Ireland is bucking the trend with more people aged over 25 now living outside urban areas.
Latest research from Eurostat – the statistical office of the European Union (EU) – shows that only 21% of the overall EU population lived in a rural area in 2021.
The statistics also highlight that over the five-year period from 2015 to 2020, the population of predominately rural regions fell on average by 0.1% each year.
But, when it comes to Ireland, the data shows that the reverse is true.
According to Eurostat, in 2021, an estimated 57% of people in Ireland aged 25 and over, lived in predominantly rural regions.
People living in rural areas
The research also pointed to more people aged over 50 living in rural areas in Ireland compared to those living in towns and cities, while in 2021 there were an estimated 20,615 people aged over 90 living in the countryside.
This is in contrast to a general trend across the EU which shows a decline in some rural populations but a rise in the number of people living in predominately urban regions.
On average, the population of towns and cities rose by 0.4% in the five-year period to 2020.
According to Eurostat, across the EU, the number of working-age people (20-64 years old) living in predominantly rural regions fell, on average by 0.6% each year between 2015 and 2020.
The number of younger people – less than 20 years old – fell by a slightly larger margin at around 0.7% each year.
The statistics show that there was an increase in the number of people from both these age groups living in predominantly urban regions which researchers suggest was because they left rural regions to continue their education or search for work.
But this trend is not reflected in Ireland where there was no shift in the number of working-age people moving to towns and cities and in fact, the reverse is true, with a greater number of people aged 20-64 choosing to live in the countryside in Ireland rather than in urban areas.
According to Eurostat the rural regions in the EU with the highest rate of “depopulation” between 2015-2020 were the Croatian regions of Vukovarsko-srijemska zupanija where the number of people living in the area fell by 2.5% per year.
Pozesko-slavonska zupanija also witnessed a decline in the rural population of 2.3% and the Bulgarian region of Vidin experienced a drop in the number of people living in the area of 2.3%.
However, it seems it is not just Ireland that has seen more people choosing to live in rural areas other than in cities or towns.
The Greek island regions of Ikaria, Samos saw a growth of 2.8% in its population numbers while Lesvos, Limnos also saw a 2.7% increase.
In the German region of Landshut, Kreisfreie Stadt and the island region in Canarias Spain, El Hierro, there was a 1.3% increase in the local populations.
According to researchers there are “many advantages” to living in rural areas including “more space, a better quality of life, lower living costs, and less pollution”.
But they added: “These advantages may be outweighed by challenges, including fewer job opportunities, weaker infrastructure – energy, transport, information and communications networks – poorer access to public services such as healthcare or education, or commercial services, such as entertainment.”
They also suggested that “when the challenges outweigh the benefits, some people – often those who are relatively young – may choose to leave rural regions in search of greater opportunities and or prosperity”.